![]() ![]() In filmmaker Amy Berg’s award-winning 2015 documentary Janis: Little Girl Blue, it’s echoed that teasing out Joplin the person from the myth has always been a challenge. And for others still, Exhibit A, a clue of sorts to what had gone wrong for this young, white girl from Texas who had never fit in, sang like the old-time blues singers, and dazzled the world in a bright swirl of feathers before being tragically hushed. To others, an incomplete hint at what could have been had she gone on. To many fans, Pearl became her final words and a de facto farewell. It became part of the myth of Janis Joplin - an idea that’s only grown bolder and more complex over the decades. At that point, Pearl, which came out a little over three months later, could never simply be the latest measure of the brilliant blues singer as a recording artist. That was assured when Janis Joplin was found dead in her hotel room of an accidental heroin overdose during the sessions that would lead to her second and final solo record. Pearl never stood a chance at being just an album. ![]() Also, after you read this article, scroll below to enter our exclusive Janis Joplin giveaway or score some original Opus swag. Fortunately we have Janis Joplin’s incredible music to give us a little of that today.Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus is back for Season 12, which examines the enduring legacy of Janis Joplin’s posthumous final album, Pearl. Such great spirit captured by that image. The song sits in the middle of the album in sad tribute to the loss of an incredible performer. I was quite glad that the writer of the song turned down the request to have him perform the vocals on it in tribute. Maybe the bitterest sweet as I listened and never heard her voice as she died before it was completed. There is incredible exuberance captured on this album and I can’t help but feel happy hearing songs like “Half Moon.” But could there be a sadder moment than “Buried Alive in the Blues?” Such a funky song. How could you not during “A Woman Left Lonely?” They are emotional, they are incredible, they are fun! I teared up on several occasions. From start to finish it is hard to fathom how a person can put so much into these songs. “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Mercedes Benz” I knew well going in to this, but those incredible songs barely scratch the surface of this album’s contents. As I grew older I kept thinking I should change that but never got around to it. I was probably a little young for this music, though, and I haven’t really listened to any Janis Joplin other than the occasional song heard on the radio. I probably have heard this album in my youth. I’ll resist the urge to be more specific. ![]() So does Janis Joplin.īut also, there’s plenty of eroticism-of a kind that is not bound by constructs like identity or even gender. Mom can scold, comfort, rage, caress, and lament with abandon. There is a maternal aspect to her singing. She is feeling, and we have the privilege of hearing what her feelings sound like. Her frequent exclamations and extra-lyrical flourishes are not contrived. And passion rules over the body as the sound comes out. Listen for what’s going on beneath her breathing, vocal cords, oral and nasal cavities, and phonetic mechanisms. It’s as if each song has been internalized, and thus it springs from her soul with minimal interference by her considerable physical singing tools. Moreover, none of her vocal stylings are affected or artificial. Here we’re treated to Joplin’s prodigious range and exemplary pitch control, with vibrato that is customized for each phrase. There’s only one way to articulate the line “Windshield wipers slappin’ time”, and it’s the way Janis Joplin does it, though others have tried. Few singers (or listeners) pay attention to that nowadays. Listen to the constant interplay between the soft and the loud on “Me and Bobby McGee”. Effortless execution of singing two pitches simultaneously (e.g., hear the first word of “Cry Baby”! I actually did).ĭynamic variation as an art form in itself. She does things with her voice that literally no one else can do. Her inimitable tonal characteristics are on full display. All very professional.īut the chief topic of interest here is the vocal performance by Joplin. Elaborate bass lines, always in concert with steady and dynamic drums. Top notch lead guitar, with some great solo riffs. The songwriting is first rate (only “Move Over” was written solely by Joplin herself), and the instrumentals of the Full Tilt Boogie Band excel. Joplin’s soul soars in this recording, which is, almost incidentally, very well produced and arranged. “Pearl” is stellar, even without context. It will be a struggle here to focus on this album as an album, simply because there is so much worth saying about Janis Joplin and her times. Very familiar with this album and artist. ![]()
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